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Ambitious, troubling psychological drama is too racy for kids

Mature and ponderous drama is far too deep for kids of any age.

Paul Thomas Anderson's (Boogie Nights, Magnolia, There Will be Blood) eagerly anticipated latest film has finally arrived, and it has caused quiet a stir between critics, audiences and fan purists in many circles, and, honestly, how, in way way, what so ever, shape or form...can you blame them? The Master, like many of his films, is a towering dictation of ponderous and deep wondering of what we choose to think, feel and do in our lives. It is a film that, while it may not exactly be the very best film that I have seen last year (Quentin Tarentino's Django Unchained is his latest unapologetic masterpiece, which may even be his very best yet), but there is no denying the stirring power and sypmphonic orchestra of dillusion that The Master coducts. Now, the story is centered around a thoroughy disturbed and disilusioned World War Two veteran who has recently returned home, and, as he wanders through 1950's America, he is having a hard--to say the absolute least--time adjusing to society. This mans name is Freddie Quell, and Joaquin Phoenix is attempting to further the statement that he has finally returned from a years-long hiatus and, one cannot help but think of his own real life mandess that he had experienced a few years ago, which caused him to stop acting completely. You remember that little episodic moment that he had for a while, right? The time when he wanted to become a rapper? Well, like I was saying, he plays the character of Freddie Quell so well that it almost seems like he is still trying to act out his own frustration in his media and personal life, and it reflects spectacularly well. Now, after a few rather unfortunate incidents revolving around multiple jobs, trouble with the law and an accidental poisoning of a previous co-worker at the hands of his ever changing personal batch of alcohol concoctions, he stumbles, drunk, one night, onto the cruise ship of Lancaster Dodd, a man, who, after writing a hugely popular novel entitled "The Cause", he takes it upon himself to create a cultist religion centered primarily around himself, as he attempts to show others the path to everlasting enrichment, faith and happiness. Now, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, an old P.T.A. favourite who hasn't used him since Magnolia back in 1999, finally returns to another one of his films, here playing Lancaster Dodd, in extraordinary subtelty. He is one of those rare few actors who creates such a naunced impression when he is on screen that you just simply cannot allow for yourself to look away and tear your eyes away from the screen. Not for a second. Other key cast members here include Amy Addams, as Dodd's slightly unhinged but none the less faithful wife, and Laura Dern, who has not been seen for a while, either, as one of Dodd's more loyal followers. Now, what The Master all boils down to, eventually, though, is a story about finding your faith in this world, through the methods of experimentation and science, which can cause for some eyebrow raising reactions from many audience members, and, what many people have, for some reason, not been touching on, though, is just exactly how subtle this fim is. Really, at 137 minutes, P.T.A.'s latest film is easily his murkiest yet, and that is definitely saying something. Actually, that is saying a whole lot, because he has always had such a nack for this kind of basis for storytelling, and, when I say murky, I do not, for a second, though, mean to put the film, or P.T.A., himself, down. he has crafted a film like only he can do, and only he does. But, like every film he has made, so far, it's philosophical qualities and rather outlandish activities earn it an incredibly appropriate R Rating, and this is why: The film has numerous receding moments of strong sexual content, including the maneurisms and mindset of the main character of Freddie Quell, himself, who see's the images of sexuality and genitalia in nearly everything, which makes for scenes depicting the body of a nude woman crafted out of sand at a beach, stimulated sex with the sand-crafted woman, public masturbation at a beach, a womans shirt being removed to reveal breasts, a detailed and extended scene of many fully nude women of various ages at a party, with there full bodies revealed in there entirety, a scene depicting a hand job, but not in the usual sense, and, finally, a sex scene, at the very end of the film, depicting fully nudity visible. Also, there is plenty of veiled violent threats and activity, including lot's of public brutallity against mostly innocent people, and perpetrated, again, by the character of Freddie Quell. Also, there is pervasive alcohol use, including much experimentation, much to many character's disgust. And, finally, the film contains infrequent, but extremely strong language, mainly permitted to several isolated oubursts, but, there are still many uses each of f--k, sh-t, h-ll, d-mn, g-dd-mn and one very explicit and detailed use of c-nt, which will make some viewers cringe. So, is the Master a perfect film? No. It is incredibly murky to sit though, and it si often very tough and uncomfortable to watch, but, like many films from the great director Paul Thomas Anderson, it is a long wait worth waiting for, because the rewards are great, with heart and emotionally uplifting substance to spare. So, in that perspective, The Master is another great film from a great director. Reccomended.

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